Destiny
by Izzu
Summary: Gu Family Book: Seo Yeong have always had recurring dreams of a magical forest. Yet when she finally goes to look for it, she couldn't have imagined what she would find. Or how her life would change because of it.
1. Meeting

Destiny  
by Izzu

o

o

There was a place she wanted to see, a forest so magical you wouldn't have believe it could exist. Where mystical creatures still exist and animals roamed freely, unafraid of being hunted by humans who wanted their meat and hide. People always made fun of her whenever she mentioned this to them. Calling her a daydreamer, as well as many things. But she knew it existed, she'd seen it. In her dreams.

It may sound ridiculous, but she have been to this magical forest so many times in her dreams. The dreams she had... they were countless to the point she could not believe that it wasn't real. It wasn't just her imagination!

Her dad used to tease her that if animals were what she wanted to see, she should just visit the nearby zoos. But she didn't want to go to the zoo, the one she wanted to look for wouldn't be found there. That's why... when she had the chance, she wanted to go find that place for sure.

"JIRISAN NATIONAL PARK"

Seo Yeong looked up at the sign as she confirmed that she was at the right place. Holding on to the map and compass, she ventured towards the forest as she began the hike up the mountain.

She didn't want any guides to accompany her nor joining those tour groups that were around. Because this trip was not just for sightsee. Even then...

Seo Yeong checked her bags to see if she had everything she needed. Camping gears aside, she didn't want to get lost in the mountains with no food or water. That would be a bit stupid for her...

Then again, coming here by herself was already sounding so silly. Her mom scolded her a lot about this. That if she could dedicate this much effort in finding some mystical forest, she should be able to use equal amount of effort to find a boyfriend. But how could she? When she couldn't even focus too long in doing any every day activities without even once think about her magical forest? And who would want to date a folklore geek like her anyway? Aside from people trying to woo her just based on her beautiful looks, she couldn't find anyone that she could have seriously wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Yet...

… if on this trip she _did_ find the place she have been yearning for AND find a man she wanted to spend the rest of her days with, that would be a plus.

xxx

She has suddenly felt anxious, for good reason. She was trekking blind in this big mountain, yet the paths around her felt strangely familiar. That made her worry. She was really scared of being lost. There was one time when she did... back then when she was very little, and that scared her a lot.

She had a nightmare. Of being chased by a group of men for some reason she didn't know. She remembered calling for someone to help... to no avail. She almost gave up hope... until someone did come to her aid. But just as she tried to look at the person's face, she woke up. It was not long after that when the search party that was looking for her found her in some alley in Geumcheong-gu. That made her parents become overprotective of her since.

That sudden recollection of her nightmare unnerved her a bit. Because now that she was in this forest, the sceneries reminded her of that nightmare. But how can it be, she never came to this place before! How can such coincidence be...

_"Over here..."_

Suddenly she heard a voice, beaconing her to follow. It lead her to a trek uphill and downwards; towards a place she thought she could only see in her dreams.

"It exist... honestly, it really did!" she exclaimed before started dancing around. The magical 'forest' ended up to just being a beautiful garden, but she didn't mind. She found what she had been looking for and yet...

Her eyes suddenly caught sight of a trail of vegetation... she wondered why it intrigued her so. Only to find that there was a cave entrance behind it.

_Don't go over there!_

A tiny voice sounded a warning towards her, but she continued to venture further.

It was a quaint-looking cave, with ancient looking lanterns in some corners as well as some old pots. As if there used to be people living here... though not so recently. Yet the things around her didn't look as if touched by the passing of time...

A bed of flowers caught her attention as Seo Yeong walked closer. It was so beautiful... until she saw a hint of fabric underneath the vines and flowers. Did someone... _died_ here?

A part of her was scared to look, yet another part was curious.

She slowly parted the vines to reveal a hanbok. It was a body of a woman yet strangely preserved as if she just died so recently—she tried to get a closer look as her fingers accidentally touched the body. Immediately a strong gust of wind blew past her as she tried to shield her eyes with her arm.

When the wind stopped, she turned to look back at the body of the woman. Strangely, the body was now gone as well as the flowery bush leaving...

A very handsome-looking man lying on the flower bed, deeply asleep.

Seo Yeong stared at the sleeping man, transfixed as she tried to come closer. Suddenly the man's eyes snapped open and shocked her, causing her to fall backwards.

The man sat up, looking around in surprise... before finally noticing the missing dead woman. Seo Yeong felt her blood ran cold as she saw the man's eyes shone bright orange. The man also let out a blood curdling growl that cause her body to become frozen. And then... the man saw her.

The man's expression immediately changed. Those eyes that glowed bright earlier turned back to normal, as the man stared at her longingly... almost as if he recognised her.

"Seo Hwa...? Is that you?"


	2. Different

Destiny  
by Izzu

o

o

_It was a place of mystery. A place none dared approach. It had long been a dwelling place of guardian spirits._

It was called the Moonlight Garden. And there the protector of Mt. Jiri... had lived for thousands of years.

xxx

_"Seo Hwa... is that you?"_

Wol Ryung stared at the girl blankly as he held out his hand. "Are you going to sit there all day?"

The girl remained quiet, not answering his question. The girl's attire was very different and her hair was tied into simple ponytail. Not like the Yoon Seo Hwa that he remembered fondly. Then again, right now the times must have changed a lot. Even if Seo Hwa's soul was reborn into a new person, she won't be the same person that he used to now. Despite that... there was something about this girl that was similar to old Seo Hwa. Something... that he still missed.

"Seo Hwa..." he started to say.

"Seo _Yeong_! Park Seo Yeong, that's my name. Why did you kept calling me Seo Hwa?"

Wol Ryung smiled. The old Seo Hwa wouldn't have snapped like this so carelessly, yet it was endearing of her. It wasn't the same... but there's still that hint of Seo Hwa's fiery spirit in this girl. It was not just the same appearance, but truly... the same soul.

"Are you really going to sit there all day?"

Seo Yeong blushed, almost similarly like how Seo Hwa always did. His heart fluttered. Was he falling in love again?

"I can sit here all I want!" she cried out as she tried to edge away. But either she was hurt or that her legs were still numb from her fall, Seo Yeong didn't move. She kept fidgeting and glancing around her like a cornered rabbit. She looked up at him. "Aren't you angry at me? Earlier... there was another body but it was gone now."

Wol Ryung sighed. It would be awkward to explain everything without making it confusing. And he doubt the girl would allow him near her if she thought it was just his selfish reason to regain his lost love.

"No, I'm not angry at you. Not anymore," said Wol Ryung again as he kept his hand extended towards her.

"You're not going to hurt me? Serious?"

Wol Ryung grinned. "No. How could I hurt someone as beautiful as you?"

Seo Yeong stared at him suspiciously. "How can I just believe... what are you? _Who_ are you? How could you just woke up like that as if you've just awaken from a nap and your clothes aren't like how usual people wear!"

He crouched in front of her like how one would address a child and smiled. "My name is Gu Wol Ryung. I'm a fox spirit. I will not hurt you, I promise."

Seo Yeong stared at him long enough before accepting his hand and got up. She sat beside him wordlessly, before fidgeting with herself again. Wol Ryung kept staring at her before she hastily turned her eyes away.

"Fox spirit? So you're... like a gumiho?"

"Yes."

Seo Yeong glanced towards him again before gesturing the area behind her. "So... why did that other body disappear?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps it was fate, for _her_ to disappear. For me to move on. I was meant to keep on asleep by her side but you broke the enchantment and woke me up."

"Fate?' she asked, frowning. "Who was she? She must've been an important person for you to continue to stay with her even after she died."

Wol Ryung nodded. "She was my dearest wife. I promised myself I'd never be separated from her again."

Seo Yeong blinked. "How did..."

He turned towards her, "How did she die?" she asked again.

Wol Ryung let out a long sigh. "She... sacrificed herself to save me." He smiled weakly. "Because of my weakness, I've become a demon that feeds on others' life force. The only other person that could stop me was my child but she, chose the other solution to protect me and the child."

Seo Yeong tensed for a moment. "Why... why did you become a demon?"

"I wanted to become human for her, but something happened that made her see my true form. It was too much of a shock for her. So I received a penalty for failing to complete the conditions to turn myself into human,"

Seo Yeong gasped in shock. "You mean... she _betrayed_ you?" Wol Ryung looked up to her in surprise to try to explain, but she continued talking. "I've read about the old tales of fox spirits that tried to become human. After falling in love before meeting with tragedy. So, it's your wife's fault that you became a demon?"

Wol Ryung suddenly cried out to her. "No! It's not her fault! I also screwed up by not believing in her to accept me for what I truly am. She was never at fault..."

"Then... why did you continued to sleep by her side after you stopped being a demon?" Tears started to flow from Seo Yeong's eyes as she wiped it away in confusion. "Eh? Why did I...?"

She turned back towards Wol Ryung, completely baffled. "Why? Why did I feel so sad when I hear you talk about your wife?"

Wol Ryung's heart started to clench as he pulled the young girl close. "I'm sorry. I really am so sorry..."

xxx

Seo Yeong stared blankly at the cave walls as she wondered about her predicament. Initially, she have come to this place to see if the sceneries she kept seeing in her dreams existed for real. And now she found it... as well as woken up an ancient fox spirit that was also incredibly handsome. The trip also did not take her too long like she thought it would.

"So... what am I supposed to do now?" she said aloud. Someone suddenly took hold of her hand as Seo Yeong looked up towards Wol Ryung.

"Let me show you around this forest." Came the reply.


	3. Flashback

Destiny  
by Izzu

o

o

Seo Yeong froze for a moment. She didn't realise how long she have been inside the den, it was already night outside. And somehow... the scene in front of her was even more magical than she thought could be possible. How can such things... still exist in this time and age?

Thousands of tiny lights surrounded her as Seo Yeong ventured further into the Ryung waited on her at the entrance of the den as he watched her silently. Not that she minded because she didn't feel that Wol Ryung meant her any harm.

The flowers and shrubberies are so beautiful, coupled with the blue fireflies (She never knew blue fireflies existed!)... it was just so magical. She reached for her DSLR to try capturing the sceneries around her. While doing so, she turned around to see behind her before exclaiming in surprise.

Wol Ryung suddenly appeared from behind her, unsmiling and looking so frightening. His clothes were also all in black—Seo Yeong gasped as her foot slipped on a rock.

Someone caught her from falling into the creek as SeoYeong cry out in alarm.

"Seo Yeong, are you all right?" Wol Ryung exclaimed at her in concern. Seo Yeong stared at him in confusion before turning towards the other Wol Ryung; only to find there was no one. She blinked as she allowed Wol Ryung to help him up.

"What was that?" she muttered to herself.

xxx

_She gave a cry of wonder as she knelt beside the creek, watching some of the fishes that swam to the surface of the water before straining her ears to hear the rushing sounds of a distant waterfall. She ran her hand into the water, causing some of the nearby fishes to flee._

"This place is so beautiful, how is it possible that no one ever found this place before?"

Wol Ryung smiled. "No one ever ventured so deep into this forest as I have. The paths towards this place are very complicated, normal people wouldn't have been able to find here without getting lost themselves."

Seo Hwa's eyes widened.

"Was that... why you said the people that were chasing me won't come here? Because this place was so secluded?" she asked as Wol Ryung nodded.

Seo Hwa let out a long sigh before turning back towards him. "How did you know I've been tied to a tree? Have you been watching me?"

Wol Ryung blinked before looking away, almost like he was embarrassed.

"I... well, before... I went out a bit too close towards the villages. That's when... I saw you. I wanted to help you... before but when I did, you were no longer tied to the tree. Since then... I'm always worried that something might have happened to you."

Wol Ryung looked really troubled, that Seo Hwa couldn't help feeling flattered. After everything that she faced these few days, it warmed her heart so much to know that there were still people being kind to her. It hurt to be suddenly shunned by the villagers, just because of the false accusation placed on her family. To suddenly being made to face the cruel realities of the world. Being thrown from the familiar life... to a strange cold world she never thought could exist outside her comfort zone.

Wol Ryung saving her life was a grateful thing, how could she ever repay this? Knowing that Wol Ryung had been wanting to rescue her from her harsh fate for some time already, made her heart beat rapidly. There was still hope in this world, there were still kind people in this world!

She's not alone!

xxx

Someone was calling her name anxiously. Someone was shaking her body rapidly...

"Seo Yeong! Seo Yeong! Are you all right?"

Seo Yeong blinked as she felt something cold being pressed on her forehead. She looked up to see Wol Ryung's worried face.

"Are you hurt?" he asked again worriedly.

She shook her head. "Err... no, I'm fine. I must've been so dazed after falling..."

Wol Ryung frowned. "You've been spacing out for quite a while, I was scared if something happened to you. I won't forgive myself if something—"

"I'm fine!" Seo Yeong said hastily, before her stomach suddenly growled. She blushed. "Sorry... I didn't mean—"

Wol Ryung finally grinned. "If you're hungry you should've told. Do you mind rabbit meat? Or fish? You looked pale, you need to at least eat some meat. Wait here..."

And just like that, Wol Ryung just ran off. She couldn't even say anything to stop him, not even to say that she brought some food with her. Despite that, she smiled. Somehow she felt that it was so charming of Wol Ryung to be so concerned about her. But even then... at this time of night, can he even catch anything?

She wondered if it was okay to let him do these things for her.

xxx

She couldn't help smiling. Wol Ryung looked so happy, coming back with a live rabbit and a sack of fish. As if this was a great achievement for him, coming home with food. She couldn't believe that it was possible to do it. But Wol Ryung's a divine being, he must have his own tricks when gathering food... even fox spirits had to eat, right?

Wol Ryung wasted no time skinning the rabbit and starting the fire to cook the rabbit and fishes. He didn't even let her help out, just because he wanted her to rest. But she was already quite rested!

And then her attention was turned back towards the blue fireflies. It was really amazing to see so many around here.

"I never thought I could see so many fireflies in one place for real. This was really an amazing sight!" said Seo Yeong as Wol Ryung shook his head.

"These aren't fireflies," he corrected her before coming over. He cupped his hands towards her as suddenly the tiny lights gathered in his palms and formed the shape of a rabbit. The blue 'rabbit' jumped out of his hands and landed on her lap, before dispersing into a green splash of light.

Seo Yeong gasped in wonder before turning to face Wol Ryung. "Firelights?" she asked as he nodded. But just as the thought crossed her mind, another feeling swept into her. Strange, as if she said something similar to this exchange before...

Her confusion must've been showing clearly as Wol Ryung's voice suddenly broke her thoughts.

"Something wrong?"

She glanced up before shaking her head. "No... it's nothing."

"That reminds me," Wol Ryung suddenly said, "...what happened earlier? Did you see something?"

Seo Yeong blinked, and was reminded of the black Wol Ryung she saw earlier. Or she thought she saw. A part of her wanted to tell him the truth yet another part was scared. Even if it was just her imagination she didn't want it to happen. Or admit that it could happen. So, better for her to not think about it. She shook her head again.

"Nothing. I just scared myself... that's all. "

She didn't want to think that the kind Wol Ryung could become that dark person she thought she saw before. And even if he once had taken that form... she didn't want it to happen again. Because somehow, deep in her heart she knew how much that would hurt the both of them.

_It was enough that she experienced that feeling once. No more._


End file.
